valve box full of water

[shade tree landscaping]

I dont do irragation yet, although I hope to expeand into it sooner than later. At my own home my valves were just buried in the ground. Located 3 of them, put one of the green boxes on them so they can be accesed easy when need to repair. Since I have installed the box, the box keeps filling up with water. I know that there are no cracked or broken pipes in there. What can be the problem for this? Its not a small ammount of water either, its filled almost to the top of it. The drainage in the area of the box is good, not perfect, but good. Have not had any major rain in a few days so I am 99.9% sure that its not from rain run off or ground water.

What could be casuing this problem? Any and all help is much apperciated! Thanks in advance!

[DanaMac]

What could be casuing this problem? Any and all help is much apperciated! Thanks in advance!

Cracked o-ring around solenoid
No thread tape or paste on threads
Not tightened enough
Auto drain (if installed) draining out after zone runs
Crack that you can not see
Crack farther up mainline and running down pipe to valve box
Desperate sprinkler guy filling up box with water hoping you will call him for work

[Mike Leary]

(A): provide pics
(B): dump the list of your crap
(C): use spell check

[shade tree landscaping]

Thanks for the quick response! I will post a few pics in the morning, the Auto drain is sometihng that I am gonna have to look into, although I don't think that it has one, the system is 30years old. Only way to find a crack up or down the mainline is to dig it up and look? (please say no!!!) haha....def not the desperate sprinkler guy!! although that one way to drum up business!

Mike...sorry about the spelling mistakes...that has never been my strong point!

[DanaMac]

(A): provide pics
(B): dump the list of your crap
(C): use spell check

Says the almighty man behind the curtain! :laugh:

[Wet_Boots]

Says the almighty man behind the curtain! :laugh:Pay no attention to the bozo sipping Arizona merlot

[DanaMac]

Pay no attention to the bozo sipping Arizona merlot

I knew you would come up with a pic to post :rolleyes:

[Mike Leary]

Pay no attention to the bozo sipping Arizona merlot

It's Cabernet, only losers drink Merlot.

[Wet_Boots]

It's Cabernet, only losers drink Merlot.

Tell it to Chateau Petrus

[Mike Leary]

::waits for bottle to sample::

[AI Inc]

You guys cant find anything better to drink then rotten grapes? Like maybe rotten potatoes.

http://www.coldrivervodka.com/home.php

[Mike Leary]

You guys can't find anything better to drink than rotten grapes?]

We have other hobbies, also. Corrected the spelling, n/c.

[Wet_Boots]

You guys cant find anything better to drink then rotten grapes? Like maybe rotten potatoes.

http://www.coldrivervodka.com/home.phpFound a new favorite for cranky sprinkler guys

[shade tree landscaping]

heres a few pics of the box filled with water, happenes daily even after I empty te box.

[DanaMac]

Yup, you've got a problem alright. :) Without digging it up, you won't find the problem. Sorry.

[shade tree landscaping]

I replaced one section of poly pipe that i thought was the problem, but obviously it wasn't. I dug about 2-3 feet both up and down the pipes from the box and still haven't found the problem. I don't wanna dig the entire yard up trying to fig it out. I had a valve replaced in there a month or so back, not sure if thats the problem or not, but also didnt have the box there until then as well.

[AI Inc]

Dig it up and open each valve manualy while you watch it.

[Waterit]

Are the external bleeds fully closed?

Isolate system by turning off supply to house (if possible) and check leak detector on water meter. I suspect one of the external bleeds OR a solenoid not fully closed.

[shade tree landscaping]

how do I open each valve and check manually?

How do I check external bleeds? I don't know if my system has a leak detector on the meter. What would an open solenoid look like?

I don't do irrigation, just need to fix my own home, the area around box has become like jello

[Kiril]

Dig it up and open each valve manualy while you watch it.

Ditto. If you have determined it is not a problem on the supply side, that only leaves one other possibility.

[AI Inc]

how do I open each valve and check manually?

How do I check external bleeds? I don't know if my system has a leak detector on the meter. What would an open solenoid look like?

I don't do irrigation, just need to fix my own home, the area around box has become like jello

Pump out box, digg all around it to expose pipes leaving box, turn thum screw counterclockwise to zone turns on.

[Waterit]

how do I open each valve and check manually?

How do I check external bleeds? I don't know if my system has a leak detector on the meter. What would an open solenoid look like?

120378

The red arrow is the solenoid, the green arrow the external bleed. As A1 said, turn external bleed counter-clockwise and valve should open. Pump out box first, tho. And put some gel-nuts or DBY's on those control wire splices!!!!

Leak detector is the little diamond (or arrow, or triangle) on your water meter.
Open the box, look in, find faceplate of meter, look for leak detector - it turns when water is running.

[shade tree landscaping]

thanks for the help guys, I am gonna try to solve this problem this afternoon!

[Mike Leary]

thanks for the help guys, I am gonna try to solve this problem this afternoon!

Let us know, we love wet mysteries.

[FIMCO-MEISTER]

Can't believe you wizards didn't mention the dry splices. If those were in separate 6" valve boxes then the problem valve area would be isolated to one box and it would be much easier to troubleshoot.:)

[Mike Leary]

Can't believe you wizards didn't mention the dry splices. If those were in separate 6" valve boxes then the problem valve area would be isolated to one box and it would be much easier to troubleshoot.:)

I could'nt even tell what type of valve it was. This is becoming one of those
blind leading the blind threads. :dizzy:

[FIMCO-MEISTER]

I could'nt even tell what type of valve it was. This is becoming one of those
blind leading the blind threads. :dizzy:

Richdel variation of the 205. Could be nothing more than the screws need to be tightened.

Or leaking MAs.

Also the leak is on the main line side. I HAVE NO DOUBT

[Mike Leary]

Also the leak is on the main line side. I HAVE NO DOUBT

Why, then, is the v.b. not overflowing?

[FIMCO-MEISTER]

Why, then, is the v.b. not overflowing?

Has reached an equilibrium with soil around it absorbing water. Plus he took off the top. That displaced space and caused the water level to drop. If the top was left off I'm sure the box would fill up again.

On a further observation recent seeding appears to have been done. I'll leave it at that for further thoughts.

[FIMCO-MEISTER]

I dont do irragation yet, although I hope to expeand into it sooner than later. At my own home my valves were just buried in the ground. Located 3 of them, put one of the green boxes on them so they can be accesed easy when need to repair. Since I have installed the box, the box keeps filling up with water. I know that there are no cracked or broken pipes in there. What can be the problem for this? Its not a small ammount of water either, its filled almost to the top of it. The drainage in the area of the box is good, not perfect, but good. Have not had any major rain in a few days so I am 99.9% sure that its not from rain run off or ground water.

What could be casuing this problem? Any and all help is much apperciated! Thanks in advance!

How confident is anybody in this statement?





With me? VERY LITTLE

[Mike Leary]

How confident is anybody in this statement?With me? VERY LITTLE

Ditto....why pros were invented.

[Waterit]

Can't believe you wizards didn't mention the dry splices.

Did so too:


And put some gel-nuts or DBY's on those control wire splices!!!!

[FIMCO-MEISTER]

Did so too:

Well talk louder next time.

[Waterit]

oops, double-post

[Waterit]

Well talk louder next time.

I was practicing my old/disabled/feeble/hard-of-hearing customer upgrade-pitch-volume:laugh: